A personification of the forces that affect everyday life, the myth of the Mither
o' the Sea is possibly one of the oldest surviving strands of Orcadian folklore.

In this case, the Sea Mither represents the benign force of the summer sea - "mither"
being the Orcadian pronunciation of "mother".

The
Sea Mither was said to grant life to every living thing, bringing warmth to the
oceans and calming the storms that were the sorrow of many an Orkney family.

But
as in all good tales, the forces of good must have a bitter nemesis. The Sea Mither
was no exception.

She had a very powerful,
and hostile, rival in Teran, the spirit of winter. Teran's screaming voice was
heard in the fury of the winter gales and his anger seen in the mountainous waves
that crashed against the coastline.

The spring struggle

Each
spring, around the vernal equinox, the Sea Mither was thought to return to Orkney
to take up her summer residence in the sea.

Her return
always prompted the beginning of the "Vore Tullye" - the Spring Struggle
- a fierce battle against Teran that lasted for weeks and manifested itself in
devastating storms that churned the sea into a boiling froth.

However,
the result of this conflict was always a foregone conclusion. The Sea Mither had
returned, refreshed and strong, and would always triumph over her adversary.

Once
overcome, Teran was bound firmly at the bottom of the sea and thus began the Sea
Mither's beneficent reign.

She would immediately set to
work restoring the damage caused by Teran.

She stilling
his violent storms and calmed the raging sea. Warmth and life returned to the
water, interrupted only by the occasional squall, caused by Teran as he struggled
to break his magical bonds.

The autumn tumult

But
as winter approached and the equinox grew near, the Sea Mither, exhausted by her
labours over the summer, was forced to confront Teran again.

Breaking
free of his shackles, another battle - the "Gore Vellye" or Autumn Tumult
- ensued. But this time, Teran would emerge victorious, gripping the islands once
more in a terrible embrace.

His foe banished, Teran would
once again reign supreme and for a while every living creature had to submit to
his tyrannous rule.

During these dreadful days of winter,
the Sea Mither was said to be able to hear the cries of every drowning man, consoling
herself in the knowledge that, when spring arrived, she would return, refreshed
and invincible, and prevail again.

My illustration, shown to the left,
was the basis for a piece of sculpture on the NorthLink
ferry MV Hamnavoe, which travels daily between Stromness
and the Scottish mainland. The representation of the Sea Mither stands in the
ship's main entrance hall.
The word "teran"
is also found in Orkney dialect and means "irritable".

This word, and the name of the Sea Mither's nemesis, probably derives from the
Norse word "tyrren" meaning "angry" or "wrathful".